Sins of the Past
by Reese M
Summary: A small away team is forced to crash land on a planet who's people are survivors of Borg attacks. Seven is arrested and put on trial for being Borg, and Janeway will stop at nothing to get her back.
1. Chapter 1

Third story in a series so reading Where She Belongs and Betrayal would be advised. As always, I don't own I just enjoy. Please read, review and enjoy.

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The away team's shuttle shook as it hit another spaceal pocket. They'd been able to make it through quite a few of the pockets with little damage but this one didn't seem to have an end to it. These types of random spaceal disturbances were frustrating and the small away team inside the shuttle were starting to show the irritation of the situation. It had been a long mission and everyone simply wanted to get back Voyager.

"Can't you keep the shuttle more stable, Ensign." The Doctor bellowed from his seat in the back.

Harry tried not to sigh but rolled his eyes freely since the Doctor couldn't see him. "We're trying our best up here, Doc."

As Harry tried to keep the inertial dampeners and shields online, Seven of Nine was keeping the shuttle on course, sending out a hail to Voyager, and monitoring systems and sensors. She'd barely had time to make adjustments when another pocket formed, its edges coinciding with the one they were it. Seven managed to avoiding hitting it head on, but the left nacelle still slid along the distortion despite her best efforts and the shuttle was sent rolling.

"Nice save, Seven, if we'd have hit that we would have been space kill." Harry said from the co-pilot's seat.

The Doctor groaned. "It's a good thing that holograms don't get motion sickness."

"The proto-mater is stable for now but if we don't get out of this soon it'll destabilize." Neelix said as he came out of the storage area in the back. "I've placed a force field around it just in case."

Seven spotted the end of the pocket they were in and inwardly sighed in relief. "We should be out of this distortion shortly."

When the shuttle stopped shaking, the Doctor let out a long breath just to suck in a gasp when the shuttle lurched forward. The shuttle had smacked right into a sudden pocket, causing the shields to weaken. Neelix quickly got to his feet and carefully made his way to the back to check on the proto-mater. When he retuned none of his crewmates liked the look on his fuzzy little face.

"There's a breach in the containment can. The force field has it under control for now but we need to dump it."

Harry frowned. "If we dump it and it makes contact with a pocket..."

"It will explode." Seven finished for him. "And the shuttle along with it if we are not careful."

Seven and Harry looked at each other for a moment before starting to work out what to do. Seven quickly scanned the area while Harry prepared to dump the proto-mater. The Doctor just shook his head, while Neelix monitored the proto-mater.

"Ok Seven when I say go; go fast." Harry said as his fingers sped over the controls.

Seven nodded as she kept an eye on the area where they were going to dump the proto-mater. It looked clear but as they were finding out the pockets could appear anywhere. Harry released the can of proto-mater and once he gave the word Seven engaged the engines carefully. She couldn't go to fast or they could very well run into another pocket. The can of proto-mater hovered in space for a few long moments and once again just as the Doctor was starting to relax he was ripped from his piece of mind. The can crashed into a pocket and exploded. The shock wave chased after the shuttle and then rocked it hard as it passed over.

"Shields are down to fifteen percent, we've lost warp drive and the left impulse engine." Harry stated as the cabin of the shuttle went dark and the red warning lights went up.

Seven worked quickly as she tried to get the shuttle out of the effected area without any more problems. When she was sure that they had made it clear of the spaceal pockets she began to aid Harry in his attempt to make repairs. Though her mind was on her work, her thoughts drifted to Voyager, to Kathryn and their daughter. She wanted nothing more then to be home with them.

"We took a really bad beating back there." Harry said as he tried to get impulse back at full, but just as he pulled off the deck covering to access the controls the system he was accessing exploded.

Seven pulled Harry away from the explosion before he could be hurt to badly and then went to the pilot seat as soon as the Doctor started to look at Harry. The shuttle had just enough power in the thrusters and enough control left in navigation that Seven was able to steer the shuttle towards an M class planet. "Everyone brace for an emergency landing."

"What are you doing, Seven?" Asked Neelix as he came up behind her.

"This is an M class planet with a small post-warp civilization." The tall blonde Astrometrics officer answered. "We should be able to make repairs and attempt to contact Voyager from there."

Everyone understood and nodded as they strapped in. The shuttle once again rocked and shook as it entered the atmosphere of the small planet. Seven managed to keep the shuttle together and the shields online long enough for them to break though but her landing left a lot to be desired. The shuttle hit the ground hard and bounced once before it came to a stop. Seven was hurled forward, smacking her head on the console, her eyes fluttered as the darkness came over her. The last thing on her mind just before the darkness over took her was Kathryn and Gretchen.

The monthly department reports were surprisingly, yet welcomingly dull. The ship had moved through three sectors of space with hardly any trouble. There had been some minor maintenance problems, a couple computer glitches, and some major boredom, but repairs were made, glitches had been cleared, and Neelix had seen to making sure there was plenty for the crew to do off duty. These lulls were nice, they gave the crew time to rest and relax, to explore without the worry of a threat, and it gave Captain Janeway time to step away from her rank and position and simply be Kathryn for a while.

It had been a year since Voyager's encounter with the Slayer and the Borg cube where they'd found the small infant who had been marked as a future Borg queen, but was now simply the daughter of Kathryn and Annika. Gretchen's first birthday was just a few days away and the whole ship seemed to buzz with excitement over it. Neelix had planned a huge party to be held in the mess hall and the whole crew was acting as if it were some kind of holiday. It was really touching to see the way the crew acted around her daughter.

Putting down the padd she had been reading the Captain once again turned her attention to the hand written list she'd been compiling. She only had a couple of days to pick out two gifts that she would be replicating for her daughter. She would give one to Gretchen the morning of her birthday when it was just the three of them, a tradition her own mother had started with her and her younger sister, and one she wanted to pass on to her own daughter. The second gift she would give to Gretchen at the party with the tons of other gifts she had a feeling the baby would be getting.

As she looked over her list and the list of what was available on the computer she wondered if Neelix would be able to make the extra small cake she'd asked for. It was another Janeway family tradition to give the baby it's own cake to smash it's little fingers into on it's first birthday. As the Captain's mind wandered past Neelix and the party to Seven and what her tall blond partner was going to get for the baby, she suddenly started to wonder why the away team that Seven and Neelix were on with the Doctor and Harry weren't back yet. There had been a nebula full of proto-mater in the area and Janeway had sent the small team to collect some to use as an additional power source two and half days ago. She had expected them back that morning but sensors were picking up a heavy load of spaceal pockets and she figured that the shuttle had been delayed by their attempts to make it through the turbulence safely with the proto-mater.

Janeway looked up from her list when she felt a sudden jolt in her gut and quickly made her way to the bridge. As she walked up the small steps from her ready room to the bridge she called out, "Report."

"There's still no sign of the shuttle." Chakotay reported from his chair in the middle of the bridge. "They should have been here by now."

The Captain nodded as she sat in her own chair. She then looked up at the young woman who was sitting where Harry normally was. "Ensign Willows, have Astrometrics extend the range of the sensors."

"Yes Ma'am." The young woman replied.

Janeway then turned to look at her sandy haired helmsmen. "Tom set course for the nebula. Lets see if we can't run into them, if not we'll back track the course they took when they left."

Tom spun around in his chair and started carrying out his orders. "Aye Captain."

"You think something went wrong?" Chakotay asked as he looked over at the petite auburn haired woman who was not only his captain, but also his friend.

Janeway nodded. "It isn't like Seven to be late."

Chakotay nodded. Seven was almost Vulcan like in her professional demeanor and always seemed to stick to a ridged schedule. It was only the addition of a family that had truly softened the former Borg and Chakotay knew how much his friend hated being away from her partner and child. "I'm sure everything's fine, Kathryn." He told the woman sitting next to him.

Janeway knew that Chakotay was trying to ease her concerns but she couldn't help but noticed the edge in his voice. It almost sounded as if he were trying to consol himself just as much as he was trying to consol her. "I know she's ok, Chakotay, there's just something telling me that something went wrong."

"If there's one thing I've learned over the years it's that you've got damn good instincts." He told her with a warm and reassuring smile.


	2. Chapter 2

The darkness was unnerving as it slowly started to lift from around her. Seven slowly started to come around as she listened to someone call out her name. It was a low male voice and Seven slowly realized that it was the Doctor. "What happened?" She said hoarsely as she attempted to sit up. Her head was pounding and she felt a little light headed but she pushed that away until she was in a sitting position.

"You hit your head pretty hard." The Doctor explained as he ran a tri-corder over her. "You have a concussion and your ocular implant is slightly maladjusted, so your vision might be a little blurred."

When Seven opened her eyes she found that the Doctor was right. Her vision was blurred and she didn't like it. "Can you repair the damage?"

"I can take care of the concussion but I don't have the equipment with me to readjust the implant." He answered as he reached for his medical kit.

Not for the first time, Seven wished that all of her implants were gone. She rubbed her eyes in an attempted to clear them as she asked, "How much damage was done to the shuttle?"

"We have very little power, just enough to set up a looping distress call for Voyager." Harry said from the front.

Neelix smiled down at the tall blond as he finished looking though their supplies. "We have enough ration kits and emergency supplies for about a week."

"We shouldn't just sit here waiting for Voyager. It will take time for them to realize that something has gone wrong and then find us. We should begin making repairs." Seven said as she tried to get to her feet, stumbling a little.

"Easy Seven, you need to rest a moment." The Doctor said as he settled his friend on her feet.

Seven waited until her head stopped swimming and then took a step towards the cockpit. "There is no time to rest." She took in what Harry was attempting to do and then fell into step with him as she aided him in making repairs. There was only so much they could do with out power but at least they would have the ability to get up and running. There was no way she was simply going to wait around for a rescue. She wanted to get back to Voyager as soon as possible.

The sound of people approaching caught Seven's enchanted hearing long before the other's heard it. She stood quickly and looked out the forward view window of the shuttle, but couldn't see anyone coming yet.

"Seven?" Neelix asked when he saw the young woman suddenly become alert.

"We are being approached." She told them flatly.

All four crewmates looked out the window and watched as a group of humanoids walked out of the brush. It looked as if they were carrying rescue equipment. Seven wasn't very trusting in these types of situations, but Harry on the other hand was quick to head for the hatch as the people began to call out.

"Hello? Anyone in there? Are you alright?"

Harry was glad to see that their universal translators were still working. "Yes," Harry said as he stood in the hatchway. "No one is seriously hurt but our shuttle is trashed and we need to contact our ship."

A tall man with dark hair and orange eyes stepped forward. He smiled at Harry as he made a hand gesture that seemed to be of a friendly nature. "Prepares we can aid you. We have short-range commutations. If your ship is close you can try to reach them. We can also help you repair your shuttle."

Neelix stepped into the hatchway to join Harry and smiled in greeting. "Thank you. We appreciate your help."

The man seemed to beam at the sight of Neelix. "Him we have never seen before." He pointed at Harry. "But you are Talaxian. You are a long way from home."

Neelix rose to the balls of his feet as he smiled and then fell back again as he spoke. "That I am and you are Zokinian." Neelix seemed a little surprised. He hadn't known that the Zokinian had made it out this far. "My friend here is human." He added when he noticed the odd looks of the others. "He is from the Alpha Quadrant, so he is a lot further from home than I am."

Another man, this one with reddish hair and orange eyes, stepped forward to join the other. "We are always happy to meet new people and to open trade. How many more of you are there and are they like him?"

"Two others," Neelix replied. "Our Doctor, he's a hologram, and Seven a human female. This is Harry, and I'm Neelix."

"Greetings and welcome Neelix, Harry, your Doctor and Seven." The first man replied as he preformed what they other assumed was a gesture of welcome. "If you come with us we will take you to our village and you can call your ship and have a hot meal."

The Doctor came right out and joined the other two men but Seven lingered behind. "Someone should stay here and continue repairs."

"Come on Seven, we'll come back to work on the shuttle once we try to call Voyager." Harry said.

Seven couldn't explain what she was feeling, but she knew it was telling her to be leery. Kathryn would say it was her instincts, but Seven was still unfamiliar on how to act on them without analyzing what she was feeling. Neelix and Harry were still waiting for her so Seven decided that staying together would be better then splitting up. "Very well."

She walked to the hatch and stood at the top of the ramp and watched as the people smiled up at her, but as she walked down with the others she could see the expressions on the faces of the people around them change.

The people backed up when they saw the implants on the woman. "She is Borg!" Someone shouted.

The first man with the dark hair hushed the people behind them and then turned to look at Seven and then at Neelix. "She is a Borg?"

Neelix shook his head. "This is Seven she is a member of our crew."

The man then looked once again at Seven. "You are a Borg?"

Seven stood as tall as she could and folded her hands behind her back. "I am human, but yes, I once was Borg."

"Is there a problem?" The Doctor asked as he looked on in concern. Without meaning to he moved closer to Seven as if to protect her.

The two men looked at each other and appeared to be having a conversation but no words were spoken. Then the first one looked back at the group. "Of course not. Please, our village isn't far."

The four Voyager crewmen walked closely together. There was a sudden feeling of unease between them. None of them liked the way the people in the rescue party were looking at Seven. This wasn't the first time people acted negatively when they discovered Seven use to be a Borg, people in this quadrant feared and hated the Borg and will good reason, but Seven wasn't Borg anymore.

"They must be telepaths." Neelix said as he watched a couple of them look as if they were talking to each other.

The Doctor and Harry nodded and Seven just continued to watch them. She had seen the look in their eyes in the eyes of other races that had come up against the Borg. The look caused a sickening feeling in her stomach and heavy guilt in her chest. Seven understood that what she did as a Borg she had no control over, but that didn't stop her from feeling guilt over it now.

The walk to the village was short and as they walked towards it's center the group around them grew smaller. When they finally reached a small building in the center of the village the only people around were the first two men, another man with blonde hair and violet eyes, and a woman with long dark hair and violet eyes.

"This is the great hall. You will be able to make your call from here and then Nunciata and Kentaro will take you to their home. They have offered a hot meal and a place to rest." The first man said to them as they entered the building.

Neelix nodded as he smiled. "You are very gracious and we thank you for your hospitality."

The four of them were lead to a room full of what looked like mid-sized view screens. The female, the one who had nodded when the first man had said Nunciata, pointed to an open screen. "You can use that one. If you need help I can show you how it works."

Seven stepped forward and Nunciata stepped back. "Thank you." Seven said as she stepped past the other woman. She walked over to the view screen and attempted to contact Voyager.

Nunciata and Kentaro stood close together and watched Seven. ~She is a Borg.~ Kentaro said mentally.

~She does not look like the ones who came. She looks like the male but with a few pieces of metal.~

~But she was Borg.~

When Seven came back over to the group Nunciata and Kentaro both stepped back. "Voyager is not in range. May I try again later?"

Nunciata nodded. "Of course."

"Voyager." Kentaro said as he and Nunciata lead their guests through town. "What an unusual name for a vessel. What does it mean?"

"It's a term where I come from that means traveler." Harry told them.

"Are there many of you on the ship?" Nunciata asked. "We have small ships and do not travel the stars much any more. We only send a few people to gather things we need and to trade."

It was Harry who once again answered. "We're small I guess maybe not your kinda small, but small compared to some of the ships back home."

~I wonder if they have more of them.~ Kentaro said bitterly.

Nunciata just shot him a nasty glance.

"Excuse me." The Doctor said as they enter the small home of their two hosts. "Are you telepaths?"

Both Nunciata and Kentaro looked concerned over the question but finally Nunciata answered. "Yes, does this bother you?"

The Doctor shook his head. "Just asking. We have telepaths were we come from as well and we thought we recognized the way you looked at each other while talking. Can you read the minds of others?"

Kentaro shook his head. "Only the strongest of us can read the minds of off-worlders."

That eased the away teams' minds a little but they still didn't like the fact that there were people out there who could read their minds. They didn't know how these people felt about privacy.

"Night will be falling soon. You may stay here with us and then try contacting your ship in the morning." Nunciata told them as she showed them to a small room with bunk beds. "Dinner shall be ready soon."

"May I help?" Neelix asked with a smile. He was always more then willing to learn new recipes.

Nunciata returned the smile and nodded. Neelix went off to learn a new way of cooking while the other three remained behind. Before Neelix's return to call them to dinner, they had agreed that after their second call attempt they would go back and work on the shuttle, and they also agreed there was something odd in the looks Seven had received.

"I do not know them." Seven said. "They must have been assimilated after I was disconnected from the Collective, but their people were assimilated."

"How can you be sure?" Harry asked carefully.

Seven looked away from him and the Doctor. "The look in their eyes is of fear and hate."

"Seven." The Doctor said softly as he moved closer to her.

"I have seen that look before." Seven explained. "I have seen it in the eyes of people on Voyager."

"The crew respect you Seven." The Doctor cut in.

"They have adapted to my presence." Seven said as she looked up at her friend. "They have gotten to know me. There will always be those, even when the ship returns to the Alpha Quadrant that will see me only as Borg. I have accepted this fact."

The Doctor gave his friend a sympatric look. "Doesn't make it any easier thought does it?"

Seven shook her head ever so slightly. "No. It does not."


	3. Chapter 3

No one got much sleep that night. Sure the people seemed nice enough to most of the away team, but this was a strange place with people they knew nothing about. Seven couldn't help but feel uneasy. Normally when they came across a new spices she could call upon the vast amount of knowledge she still had from her time with the Borg, but she knew nothing of these people and Seven really hated being unprepared. She was also well aware of how these people felt about her. It was hard to feel relaxed in place that you knew didn't want you there.

While Neelix had gone off once again to help prepare a meal, Harry and Seven worked out a plan for making repairs. They just needed enough get up and go to get them close enough to where they were suppose to meet Voyager for the ship to catch their distress call.

"Breakfast is ready." Neelix announced as he came back into the room. "And I think you will enjoy it."

Harry reframed from saying that the change in cooking was defiantly an enjoyment and simply smiled at his friend. All three of the others followed Neelix into the kitchen even though the Doctor didn't eat and Seven didn't feel like it.

"It has been long enough now that Voyager must know something has gone wrong." Seven said as she stood next to the small table the others were seated at. "I will attempt to contact the ship again before we return to the shuttle."

Nunciata offered Seven a warm smile as she gave Harry more food. "Do you think your ship will be closer now?"

Seven nodded. "They would have begun a search once they were sure we were not just running late."

"It might take them a while to get through all those pockets out there, Seven." Harry spoke up. "Voyager isn't going to have it as easy as we did avoiding them."

The Doctor couldn't help but snort. "You call that easy going, Mister Kim? I think you need to redefine that phrase."

Once Harry and Neelix had finished eating the small group prepared to head back to the small building with the commutations unit. Neelix was working on a trade with Nunciata for their version of coffee beans when Kentaro walked into the room, flanked by several large looking men.

"That's her." Kentaro said as he pointed at Seven.

The sight of the goons and the look on Kentaro's face made all four Voyager crewmen uneasy and the three men all moved a little closer to Seven. The four goons stepped closer and raised their weapons.

"You will come with us Borg." The oldest looking of the men demanded.

Harry and Neelix moved in closer to Seven's sides as the Doctor moved in front of her. "What is going on here?" He asked as he looked at each of the armed men. His thoughts, like Harry's and Neelix's, was to protect Seven. It never really dawned on him that if one of the men fired the beam of energy would go right through him and hit Seven anyway.

The lead goon looked at him stone faced. "We do not have issues with the rest of you. You are free to move about the village and to contact your ship to arrange your departure, but the Borg will come with us."

"Seven isn't going anywhere with you and do stop calling her 'the Borg' she has a name." The Doctor huffed. "She hasn't done anything wrong. She's been with us the whole time."

"Kentaro what is going on here?" Nunciata asked.

Kentaro just moved her out of the way. "The elders have made their choice."

"What choice?" Harry asked.

"Please step aside or we will remove you. The Borg is to come with us." The lead goon repeated.

Seven didn't want to start any trouble, nor did she want her friends hurt in any scuffle that might happen, so she willingly stepped away from her protectors. "Why am I being apprehended?"

The men didn't answer her. The lead man simply raised his weapon and stunned her, causing Seven to sink to the floor. The Doctor quickly moved towards her but he wasn't fast enough. Two of the armed men picked Seven up and dragged her from the house.

"This is an outrage!" The Doctor protested. "Why was she fired upon! I am her doctor and demand to be allowed to escort her to make sure you Neanderthals didn't harm her!"

The lead goon looked at him and snarled. "She is a Borg. For the safety of our people she was stunned for transport. You may come with us and take up your protest with the Elders."

"You go with Seven Doc. I'm going to call the ship." Harry said. "The Captain is going to want to know what's going on as soon as possible."

The Doctor nodded and then followed the lead goon to their transport. He ignored the men's protests as he scanned Seven to make sure she was alright. They were taken to a building larger then the one they called the great hall and then lead to a room with a long table with several older looking Zokinians sitting behind it. Seven was drug into the middle of the room, her limp body hanging between two of the goons, while the Doctor remained at her side. One of the Elders ordered Seven retrained and awoken. One of the goons walked over with a pair of restraints that would encase Seven's hands and forearms. After he secured her he injected her with something while the Doctor protested and demanded to examine it.

"Who is this?" One of the Elders demanded.

"I am the Doctor." The Doctor told him. "I'm Seven's crewmate and friend."

That caused a rumble of whispers in the room. "Borg do not have friends."

"She is no longer a Borg!" The Doctor spat at them. "She hasn't been one for five years, nearly six years!"

The older set of Zokinians looked Seven up and down as she slowly came too.

"What is the meaning of this?" She demanded as she gave her foggy head a slight shake.

Again she was ignored as one of the Elders came over to her to look at her implants more closely. Seven jerked away when he went to touch her. Her actions surprised the man and he returned to his seat. The Doctor and Seven watched as the panel had a conversion but didn't hear a word that was said.

Again Seven spoke up. "Why have I been detained? Why did you stun me?"

The man in the middle looked at her. "You are Borg. You will be held accountable for what you have done to us."

Seven lifted her left brow. "I have done nothing to you."

"You attacked us on our homeworld. You killed and assimilated over half of our population. The people you see here are the only ones left. The only ones to escape you." One of the women said.

"Seven didn't do that personally." The Doctor protested. "You can not prosecute her for what the Borg did."

One of the other men slammed his hand on the table. "She is Borg!"

Seven and the Doctor both opened their mouths to say something but the man in the middle held up his hands. "This is our world and we will proceeded according to our laws. You will be her advocate." He said pointing at the Doctor. Then he looked at his goons. "Have her locked in a secured room."

The goons advanced on Seven again and she felt herself wanting to fight, but she knew better. She knew the rules about overriding alien governmental laws, and she knew that Kathryn wouldn't want her making things worse. So Seven allowed them to walk her to a small room in the lower level of the building and lock her in. She felt her emotions bubble up but she took a deep breath to calm herself. She knew without any doubt that Kathryn would come for her, she just needed to be patient. She just hoped that these people wouldn't allow their fear and anger push them into doing something before Kathryn could get there.


	4. Chapter 4

The sight of Icheb sitting on the floor with Gretchen in his lap made Janeway smile the moment she stepped into her quarters. With Neelix on the away team Seven's self-adopted little brother had been the first to offer his time to baby sit. The young Brunali had become very attached to Gretchen and it had touched Janeway's heart to no end the day she heard the young man explain to Seven that to him she was a sister which made her child his niece.

"The dilithum crystals are housed here." Icheb explained as he pointed to a part of the soft squishy model of the warp core that he was holding. Gretchen smiled and cooed as she tried desperately to pull the toy into her mouth. "The crystals are then broken down and mixed into..."

Janeway couldn't help but laugh.

Icheb looked up with a rather startled look on his face. "Captain." He said as he attempted to get to his feet with Gretchen in his arms.

Janeway waved her hand at him as she shook her head. "Don't get up, Icheb. I didn't mean to startle you." She walked over and crouched down near the edge of the large pink blanket that the children were sitting on, and then she laughed again. As soon as Icheb's attention had been diverted Gretchen was finally able to get the toy into her mouth and was now chewing happily on the miniature warp core. "Don't you think she's a little young for warp field mechanics?"

Icheb looked down at Gretchen and then up at Janeway. "She can not understand the concept yet, however, Seven says that even a child as young as Gretchen can learn. We completed the Delta quadrant alien flash cards before lunch so I designed and replicated this model of Voyager's warp core. I hope that was alright, Captain."

Gretchen looked up at her mother and stretched out her arms as she squeaked out, "mo-mo"

Janeway was more then happy to take the child and quickly placed a soft kiss on the crown of her auburn haired head. "It's fine, Icheb. She seemed to be enjoying the lecture." She said with a smile.

A small smile tugged at Icheb's young face before he replied in a manor that reminded Janeway a lot of Seven. "I believe it was the sound of my voice she liked not the words I was saying."

Janeway laughed again. "That's what Seven says when I catch her reading Geejay the astrometrics reports out loud."

"Has Seven returned yet?" Icheb asked as he watched the Captain playing with Gretchen.

"Not yet, Icheb, but we have found the shuttle's warp trial. We'll find them." Janeway told him as she gave him a reassuring smile.

After having a quick lunch where she talked with Icheb about his studies the Captain kissed her daughter's pudgy cheeks and then headed back to the bridge. The knot in her stomach that normally told her that there was trouble coming seemed to be getting tighter.

"Captain, I'm picking up a hail from one of the near by planets." Ensign Willows announced as the Captain stepped off the turbo lift.

The Captain walked down to her chair and lowered herself into it as she called out. "On screen Ensign."

The young woman cleared up the signal and then placed the call through to the main viewer. There was a rush of relief that passed over the whole bridge when Harry's face appeared on the screen. "Captain, am I glad to see you."

Janeway smiled. "Where are you Harry? What happened?"

"We're on a planet called Nunus III. We were caught in a really bad patch of spaceal pockets and ended up having to dump the proto-mater, which exploded. Our shields were weakened and we lost engines. Seven managed to land us here and the locals have offered us help."

The Captain listen to Harry explain everything carefully but couldn't shake the feeling that he was trying to work his way up to something. "What is it Harry?"

Harry took a deep breath. "They've arrested Seven. They want to put her on trial."

Janeway felt her heart sink to her toes and her stomach lurch into her throat. "For what?"

All the color drained from Harry's face before it turned a bright angry red. "For being a Borg."

An unsettling hush feel over the bridge. Finally Janeway spoke up. "Send us the coordinates, Harry. We'll be there as soon as we can."

Harry nodded and then transmitted the coordinates. Once Tom gave the word that he had them Janeway had him engage engines. She was really starting to get tired of people treating Seven unfairly because of what she use to be and Janeway knew that Seven was tired of it as well.

As Voyager made it's way to the planet, Janeway sat in her chair and quietly fumed as she tried to weed though the thoughts in her head. Harry hadn't given them anything to go on other then these people wanted to use Seven as an escape goat. Her Starfleet training kept pushing into her thoughts reminding her about the rules that said they couldn't interfere with other races' laws, but somehow she didn't think this counted. She would go down and talk to them but she would not let them punish Seven for something the Borg did.

"Tuvok as soon as we're in range scan the planet and see if you can tell how advanced their technology is. Ensign Willows, scan for and lock onto each one of our crew and prepare to beam them up on my orders."

After getting her officers' confirmations Janeway stood, "You have the bridge Commander. I'm going to see what I can find out about their hosts. Let me know when we've arrived."

Chakotay nodded and then watched as Janeway descended into her ready room. For a moment he felt sorry for whoever made the choice to pick on Seven. His friend had always been protective of the younger woman, but since they'd become involved and now that they were raising a child that protectiveness grew ten fold.

The ship's computer had been updated with information on the Delta quadrant by both Neelix and Seven, but there was very little on the Zokinians. The crew would be going into this situation blind, but what else was new. After learning what she could about the aliens she was about to face, Janeway looked up Star Fleet records. She found an account in the archives regarding an incident with the Enterprise where Picard had retrieved the son of his chief medical officer after he'd broken a law on another planet. She would use this if she had to, because if she had to, she'd bring Seven home by any means necessary.

The bridge was quiet and unsettling to the people who were sitting at their stations. The ship had arrived at the planet where their away team was, but their hails had still not been answered. This was starting to make Janeway feel more and more uneasy and more and more angry.

"Hail them again." She ordered as she shifted in her chair. The young woman standing behind her acknowledged the order and put the hail through. Janeway was expecting to hear that there was no reply so it came as a surprise when Willows announced she was putting the call on screen.

A kind looking older gentlemen appeared on the screen and smiled down at Janeway. "Ahh you must be Voyager. I am Brandeis. Sorry for the delay in replying. Your people have been waiting for you. I will send word to them that you are here and you may retrieve them, Captain."

"I was told by one of my officers that you were holding a member of my crew. Have you released her?" Janeway ask as she sat on the edge of her chair.

The man's smile quickly turned into a frown. "Your officer was mistaken. We are not holding a member of your crew. We are holding a Borg."

Although her emotions could not been seen on her face, they could be seen flashing in her eyes. The ice blue fire was unmistakable and it caused the man on the screen to swallow. "Seven is no longer a Borg and very much a member of my crew. I expect her to be returned to us with the others."

"I am afraid I can not give you the Borg, Captain, she is to answer for all she did to us."

Janeway got up from her chair and took a step closer to the screen. She stood at her full height and squared her shoulders, looking every bit the commanding woman she was. "She hasn't done anything to you. Seven is no longer a Borg."

The man on the screen was becoming angry. "Once a Borg, Captain, always a Borg."

"We will not be leaving without her." Janeway warned. "You can not charge her with a crime she didn't commit."

"You will have to take this up with the Elders. For now you may reclaim your crewmen." The man replied and then cut the call.

Janeway was quietly fuming. She had to think about what she was going to do. There had to be a diplomatic way of handling this.

"Captain, we've been sent a message from the planet. It's from Ensign Kim. He's sent a set of transport coordinates." Willows reported suddenly.

The Captain didn't waste anytime heading for the turbo lift. "Send them to transporter room one. Tuvok your with me."

The tall Vulcan officer fell right into step with Janeway. The two of them made their way to the transporter room as quickly as they could. Janeway wasn't sure what she was going to do or say all she was sure of was that she wasn't returning to Voyager without every single member of her crew being with her.

When the haze of the transporter lifted Janeway and Tuvok found themselves in the hallway of a simple looking building. The Captain looked around quickly and spotted Harry and Neelix standing outside a set of closed double doors.

"What's going on?" She asked as they approached them.

Harry and Neelix turned to look at her and Harry sighed in relief. "Captain, you guys got here just in time. They're holding Seven's trial in there." He pointed to the door.

"Is Seven in there?" Janeway asked.

Neelix shook his head. "No and we haven't been able to see her."

"Where is the Doctor?" Tuvok asked.

Both Harry and Neelix looked at the doors but Neelix was the one to answer. "They made him her advocate."

"Well at least they're giving her a chance." Janeway said though she had a feeling she was wrong.

Harry suddenly looked angry. "They haven't allowed him to speak in her behalf at all. He said all morning all they've done is whine about the Borg."

She'd figured this was one sided and Janeway was about to put a stop to that. Without a word to the others she walked over to the doors and opened them. The proceedings inside stopped as the doors opened. Everyone looked up and all eyes were on her. The Doctor looked relieved but the others looked quite upset.

"What is the meaning of this?" The man in the center asked as he stood.

Janeway walked closer to the table of Elders and then brought herself to her full height. "I am Captain Kathryn Janeway of the Federation starship Voyager. I'm here for my crewmen. All of them."

The man who sat in the center looked at her harshly. "You may take the others. The Borg will remain until we have decided her fate."

The emotion was starting to bubble in her belly, but Janeway kept it pushed down. "She had nothing to do with what your planet went through."

"She was Borg she is guilty by association." The man told her. "Now sit down Captain. Your rank and position give you no rights here. According to our laws only two people may speak for the guilty."

Janeway gave him her best deathly look. "And who might those two people be?"

The Elder was not impressed. "The appointed advocate and the guilty's spouse."

For the first time since Janeway had come into the room, the Doctor finally spoke up. He knew as the words were coming out of his mouth that he would pay for them later, but he knew that the Captain was the better person to handle this. "In that case the Captain has the right to speak on Seven's behalf. They are mates."

The Elders all looked at the Doctor, but it was the man in the center who spoke. "Even if we did believe you, and Doctor we do not, Borgs do not take mates. Mates are not the same as spouses. In order to have the right to speak on the Borg's behalf she and the Captain would have to be married. Are they?"

The Doctor sighed. "No."

"Then the Captain has no rights." The man told them. He then turned to Janeway. "You will sit and be still or you will leave."

The emotion that had been bubbling in her belly was now starting to make it's way up. She could nearly feel the steam coming from her ears. Slowly she sat next to the Doctor.


	5. Chapter 5

Seven stood in the small room she had been placed in. She hadn't been able to talk to any of the others and had no idea what was going on. She didn't like this feeling of being closed off and alone and she was finding it hard to keep her demeanor cool. The loneliness of being one had been the hardest thing for her to adapt too, but her life with Kathryn had helped with that unease. A small smile tugged at just the very corner of Seven's mouth as she thought about her captures having to deal with the petite yet fiery Starfleet Captain.

There was a knock on the door and Seven turned around just in time to see a small girl who didn't look any older then Icheb, walk in with a tray of food. The girl put the tray on the little table with its single chair and then looked up at Seven. The two looked at each other for a long moment before the girl finally spoke.

"You do not look the way the Elders have described Borg." The girl said softly.

Seven folded her arms behind her back. "The Doctor removed most of my implants and Borg components when I was first severed from the collective. I have naturally rejected several more over the past four years."

The girl titled her head to the side. "You have not been in the collective for four years?"

"Correct." Seven replied coolly.

The girl stared at Seven again. "We were not sure if Borg ate but I have brought you food."

Seven was hungry but she'd never admit it. "Thank you."

"Do Borg eat?" The girl asked.

"Borg do not require food they acquire their energy from regeneration." Seven stated as if she were teaching a class. "I however am no longer Borg and do require nutritional supplements. I do not however require them at this time."

The girl nodded. She seemed content with Seven's answer but then asked. "Do you sleep?"

This time Seven kept it simple. "Yes."

"Your ship has arrived." The girl said. "Your captain has come down and is talking to the Elders."

Seven felt a lot better knowing that Kathryn was here. "May I see my Captain?"

The girl looked almost sad as she shook her head. "Prisoners are not allowed any contact with the outside world until after their trial."

"How do your accused present their side of things?" Seven asked. She couldn't help herself. Having the chance to learn about some new species hardly ever came her way. She knew facts about thousands of species and despite the mess she was in, it was nice to be able to look at a species in the way the others must.

"Their advocate gives their side for them. There are also other ways. The strange man who is there but not there, he is your advocate." The girl said as she headed for the door. "I will return later."

Seven watched as the girl left. She couldn't help but feel that something was a little odd about the visit but she couldn't place what it was.

Captain Janeway sat in the meeting hall listening to person after person detailing the Borg attack on the Zokinian homeworld. The whole thing was starting to make her feel ill, but it wasn't the details that were affecting her, it was these people's unwillingness to let go of the bitterness and move on. She couldn't help but think that if her own people had acted like this after Wolf 359 the Federation would have crumbled.

The advocate against Seven continued to talk to the woman sitting at the far left of the head table. She was a middle-aged woman, maybe a few years older then Kathryn herself, with long dark hair and eyes the color of cobalt. For the most part everything she was saying sounded pretty much like what everyone else had been saying. The Borg attacked, the Borg killed and assimilated, a handful of people barely made it out alive, but then she gave Kathryn just the bit of information she was looking for.

Janeway got to her feet quickly and looked at the woman with real sympathy in her eyes. "Excuse me, did you just say that the attack happened two years ago?"

Before the woman could replay the lead Elder slammed his hand down on the table. He glared angrily at the Captain and barked, "Captain Janeway! You have been warned. If you do not remain quiet you will be removed from these proceedings."

Janeway returned the glare. She wasn't about to let this pompous bitter man back her down. This wasn't just a member of her crew they were attacking, this was Seven, this was Annika, her Annika. "Seven of Nine has the right to have someone stand up for her."

"She has an advocate." The Elder said as he point to the doctor who was sitting next to the Captain. "We've been through this."

It was becoming more and more difficult to keep her temper down. "You haven't allowed him to talk at all since this whole thing started."

"He will get his chance." The Elder advised. "After all the accounts have been told he will get a chance to plead for his client's life."

Janeway slammed both of her hands down on the table. "You call her the guilty, you say that the Doctor will get a chance to plead for her life. You've already convicted her!"

"She is Borg! She is guilty for many deaths!" The man roared.

Moving out from behind the table Janeway approached the center of the room. Two guards moved towards her, but they stopped. Janeway wasn't sure if she'd seen it right, but she could have sworn that the girl who sat at the right of the long table taking notes had looked at the men with what looked to be a commanding glare. When she was sure no one was going to stop her she spoke.

"Seven of Nine was disconnected from the Borg four years ago. She was not part of the attack on your people. She was on my ship working towards reclaiming her life. She is no longer Borg. She is a member of my crew. She is a friend to many. She is a sister to a young man who looks up to her and needs her." Janeway paused for a moment. "She is my," Suddenly all the terms they had used for each other seemed shallow some how. "She is my partner. She is a mother to our child."

Several people in the room gasped before a gentle rumble of whispers began to clatter around the room until Elder called for quiet. Once again, from the corner of her eye, Janeway noticed the girl. It was her slight gesture that finally hushed the room. Anther slight gesture and the head Elder called for a recess. Maybe, hopefully, this was the break she needed, but just in case it wasn't she needed to speak with Tuvok. She needed to make sure he had a plan to get Seven back to the ship.

Seven sat on the small bed with her head titled back against the wall. She had her eyes closed and she was breathing slowly. Though she didn't need to regenerate more then twice a month now, she was approaching her two-week mark. She felt tired and stressed and her ocular implant was still causing her vision to blur. Seven wanted to go home. She missed Kathryn and their daughter and their friends.

As Seven's mind started to wonder it quickly affixed all her thoughts on Gretchen. Her birthday was coming up and Seven was still working on her present. She was designing an interactive interface that could be added to the personal computer thermal in their quarters. It would respond to Gretchen's growing vocabulary and help build her motor skills while aiding in her growing development, and Seven hoped, it would be fun as well. But time was running out and she was down to only a few days to finish it.

There was a knock on the door and the young girl from the day before came in. She sat another tray on the table and then smiled when she noticed that Seven had eaten a little from the last one she'd brought. She then looked up at Seven and titled her head to the side. "Who is... Gretchen?"

Seven's eyebrow shot up, which was her normal way of showing shock. "How do you know that name?"

The girl blushed. "I heard it in your thoughts. I'm sorry."

"You can read my thoughts?" Seven asked. She was suddenly very uncomfortable. It had taken time for her to adjust to having private thoughts, but now that she was use to it, she treasured it. She did not like having people intrude on her that way.

"Only your surface thoughts and you were kind of thinking loudly." The girl responded.

Seven remembered that they had been told only the strongest of these people could read the minds of off-worlders. This girl was a mere child and could do it. Seven fought the urge to shiver. She disliked telepaths.

"So who is she?" The girl asked.

"Gretchen is my daughter." Seven answered in that same teaching tone she'd adopted before.

The girl looked shocked. "I didn't know that Borg bore offspring. I thought they only assimilated."

If she weren't in a small room awaiting word on wither she was to be convinced of crimes that the Borg had committed, Seven would have screamed in frustration. "The Borg do assimilate. I am no longer a Borg. I am human. I have a family and that includes a child."

"So you have a mate as well?" The girl was starting to look a little more intrigued.

Seven nodded. "I do. Captain Janeway and I are mates."

The girl nodded to herself and then smiled again. "How old is she? You're daughter, not your mate."

"She is nearly a full terrain year in age." Seven answered.

The girl's face brightened. "She's just a baby then." Seven nodded and the girl saw something in her eyes and frowned. "You are missing her."

Seven nodded again. "I have not been away from her for such a long period of time before. I have been finding it unsettling. I wish to be with her."

The frown on the girl's face deepened. "She must miss you as well. One so small still needs mother to be close."

Icheb walked the floor of the Captain's quarters with Gretchen in his arms. The child was wailing at the top of her small lungs and wouldn't stop. Icheb was afraid the child would make herself sick, which is why he'd finally called for help a few minutes ago. When the door chime sounded, the young man sighed in relief. "Come." He called out over the crying.

B'Elanna walked into the cabin and tried hard to hide her smile. Poor Icheb looked like hell. "What's the matter?"

"I can't make her stop crying. I have completed all the normal tasks for caring for her. She has been feed, and cleaned; and she took a nap. She does not feel warm and the medical tri-corder readings say she is not ill."

Walking over to Icheb, B'Elanna smiled as she reached out and took the unhappy baby. A few months ago she had laughed over the old saying that once you have a child of your own something inside you clicks and a mother's instincts kick in. But now B'Elanna knew that wasn't just an old saying because instincts were telling her that Gretchen was a very scared little girl.

"She misses the Captain and Seven." B'Elanna told Icheb as she held the baby. "She's never been away from Seven for so long and now that the Captain is gone as well, she's a little scared."

Icheb watched, wide eyed, as B'Elanna walked into the Captain's and Seven's bedroom with the baby in her arms. He knew the three women where close friends, but he wasn't sure that B'Elanna should have just walked into their private space like that. It wasn't until B'Elanna walked back out of the room that Icheb realized that Gretchen had stopped crying. "How did you do that?"

B'Elanna sat down on the couch gently and softly rocked her goddaughter. "Do what?"

As he moved closer to the Chief Engineer and the baby, Icheb noticed that the baby was wrapped in an odd looking white cloth. "How did you make her stop and what is that?" He pointed to the cloth.

"That is how I got her to stop." B'Elanna answered as she lifted a sleeve.

Icheb blinked. "That is one of the Captain's civilian shirts."

B'Elanna nodded. "I knew she'd have one laying around."

Now the young man looked confused. "How does wrapping her in one of the Captain's shirts make her stop crying?"

"It's comforting, Icheb." B'Elanna explained. "Babies are very sensory. Smells and feelings and sounds are soothing. The shirt smells like the Captain and it's a safe bet that the Captain has held her while wearing it so it a why it feels like the Captain."

Understanding slowly dawned on the young man. "Thank you Lieutenant."

B'Elanna smiled. "No problem, Icheb. Tell ya what. Why don't you take a break for a while? I'll take Geejay back with me and she can play with Miral. That'll help her feel better."

"You do not mind?" The boy asked.

"I wouldn't have offered if I minded, Icheb." B'Elanna laughed.

Icheb blushed, "Of course. Thank you, I do have some lessons I need to finish."

"Then get going already. I'll pack up her bag and then we'll head over to my place."


	6. Chapter 6

The hearing had ended the night before without any allowances to the Doctor to speak on Seven's behalf. It had also ended with the head Elder warning the Captain once again that no further out bursts would be tolerated. Both events had caused the Captain's already bad mood to worsen. She sent Tuvok and Harry back to the ship with orders to locate Seven and prepare to beam them all up to the ship and for a quick departure. The Zokinian had ships, but none of them could compare to Voyager in anyway. She was only willing to play along with this bitter people for so long before she finally put her foot down and said enough. The only reason she hadn't yet was because she was hoping to somehow make them see that they needed to move on from the horrors of the past before it destroyed them all over again.

As Captain Janeway, Neelix, and the Doctor walked into the hearing room, the Captain noticed once again the young girl who sat perfectly still and quiet at the right of the long table. She wasn't sure, but the Captain had the funniest feeling that the girl was more then she seemed. "Doctor, have you noticed the girl over there." Janeway asked as she turned her back to the girl and the elders.

The Doctor nodded. "She has been here since day one."

"Do you know why she's here?" Janeway asked.

The Doctor shook his head but wasn't given the chance to answer. The head Elder called the hearing to order. Most of the morning was spent on retelling how Seven had arrived on the planet, and about her capture and detainment. Then after a brief break, the Doctor was finally able to speak. He stood up and walked to the center of the room. He looked over at the Captain who nodded so slightly that only he could see her. The Doctor squared his shoulders and began just the way he and the Captain had planned.

"When Annika Hansen was six years old her parents' ship was boarded by the Borg. They were all assimilated. Annika Hansen, a bright eyed loving little girl, had her individuality brutally striped away from her and in that blonde haired, blue eyed, little girl's place was left a Borg drone, Seven of Nine, Tertiary Adjunct of Unimatrix Zero One." The Doctor said, as he looked each elder in the eyes. "When she was a mature drone, Seven of Nine, acted on the orders of the Collective. She had no rights; she had no say in what she did. She was a slave with no free will of her own. No thoughts of her own. No emotions of her own. The hive, the queen, thought and felt for her."

Janeway watched as most of the elders practically looked through the Doctor. They weren't even listening to him. The girl off to the right however looked slightly confused. She watched as the Doctor spoke and listened closely, but something about him bothered her. Janeway watched as the girl looked over at the man seated in the center of the table and then she watched as the man's face twisted in anger and defiance.

"Captain Janeway," The man said, cutting off the Doctor, "You will continue with this... Story..."

The Captain exchanged glances with the elder, then with the Doctor, and then she looked quickly over at the girl. "You said yesterday that I had no…"

The Elder cut her off angrily, "Do you wish to defend the Borg or not Captain?"

Janeway stood and nodded. "Thank you." She said as she looked over at the girl. It was starting to make sense. They were telepaths and the girl must have been reading their minds. That explained why she looked confused as she watched the Doctor. There was nothing to read there. Janeway exchanged places with the Doctor, but decide that merely retelling Seven's biography wasn't going to cut it. She had to be more personal.

"I've sat here listening to your retellings of the attack on your homeworld, and I understand the pain you have felt." She began. "Ten years ago in my home sector there was a massive Borg attack on my people and our allies. We lost eleven thousand lives at Wolf 359. Eleven thousand lives in one attack, added onto thousands of other lives lost from attacks of planets, ships, and stations." Janeway's voice was firm but as she spoke her eyes revealed her true emotions. It was hard for her to do, to allow anyone to see or sense anything past her command mask, but she knew it was the only way to get out of this in a positive way.

"Seven of Nine was part of that attack. She was a Borg drone then, and she helped to assimilate and kill the people of Wolf 359. I myself fought at that battle, I watched as the Borg tore though our fleets, assimilated our people. I went to the funerals and memorials of friends and comrades. Friends and comrades that she helped to assimilate because she'd been given an order she had no choice but to follow." Janeway looked at each Elder, at the girl, and at the people watching. "Seven years later while on a course set back to our own sector my ship was attacked by Species 8472. We defeated them with the help of the Borg, more to the point, we were helped by Seven of Nine while she was still a Borg."

"I severed Seven of Nine from the Borg collective. My ship's Doctor removed most of her Borg implants and I learned for the first time who Annika Hansen was. Over the past four years Seven has worked hard at not only relearning who Annika Hansen was, but learning who she is now. She's fought for and fought against her humanity like we all do at some point in our lives." Janeway now made a point of looking at the head Elder instead of the girl. She didn't want to give away that she had a feeling she was being telepathically read.

"Seven of Nine, Tertiary Adjunct of Unimatrix Zero One is still part of Seven, but it's a small part. Annika Hansen is the bigger part of Seven. It's that part of her that has allowed her to become not only a critical and important member of my crew, but also," She paused, "a critical and important part of my own life."

The head Elder who had barley been listening, snorted. "Are you going to tell us that you and the Borg are mates again, Captain? Are you about to tell us that the Borg has learned to love?"

The Captain was ready to answer but the doors of the hearing room opened, which caused all heads to turn. There stood a girl who looked quite a bit like the girl who had been sitting to the right of the table. The girl at the table stood up and took a step forward as the other girl came closer to her. The two looked at each other, both wore expressions that told everyone they were having a detailed conversation. After several long minutes the girl who'd come into the room stood next to the other girl who looked at Janeway and then over at the head Elder. "All that she has said is the truth."

The Elders all looked stunned and the head Elder huffed. "Borg do not have mates! They certainly do not love!"

The girl shot him a look. "Not only are the Borg…" The girl stopped and frowned, she looked over at the other girl and nodded, she then looked back at the Elder. "Not only are Seven and Captain Janeway mates, they have a child. Amoro has felt for herself that Seven feels, she expresses emotion."

The head Elder was about to protest when Amoro finally speaks up, "She misses her daughter, her misses Captain Janeway, she misses her home aboard Voyager."

"With all that we have heard and all that we have learned." The girl who'd been in the room all along continued. "We are ready to announce our ruling."

Janeway looked at the girls. "Your ruling?"

The girl smiled. "The Elders are advisors to us. My sister and I rule and therefore it is our responsibility to pass judgment. Our system is rather confusing to most off-worlders Captain, but I assure you we do aim to be fair despite the fact that we look as if we..." The girl paused to scan the Captain's mind, "railroad our guilty."

"There is no need to explain our ways to these people, your grace." The head Elder said rather snidely. "What have you decided to do with the Borg?"

The girls both looked up at the old man but the one who had been in the room the whole time spoke. "She is to be released."

One of the other Elders slammed his hand on the table. "But she is Borg! Someone has to pay for what they have done!"

"She is not Borg." Amoro said. "And we will not use her as a scapegoat."

Janeway looked at the two and really wished they'd stay out of her head.

The girl smiled. "My apologies Captain, but I found the term appealing in this case. I will leave you to your thoughts."

Janeway nodded. "Thank you."

"It will not be easy for us." Amoro said. "But you are correct, Captain. We do need to let our anger and bitterness go."

"It isn't easy for anyone with wounds so deep." Janeway replied. "But it can be done."

"So we have seen." The girls said together with approving nods.


	7. Chapter 7

"Regeneration cycle complete." The computer called out, her voice echoing through the vast room.

Slowly Seven's eyes fluttered open. She could tell right away that regenerating had helped, she no longer felt tired, her vision no longer blurred, and best of all she no longer felt alone. The removal of her loneliness however, had nothing to do with the Doctor's required regeneration cycle. It had everything to do with the two figures at the bottom of her alcove.

Janeway smiled up at Seven as the taller woman stepped down from her alcove. "Feeling better?"

Seven smiled as she reached out to take their daughter from her beloved. "Yes, much better, thank you. You were waiting for me?"

Gretchen's blue eyes gleamed at the sight of her Mama. "Mama, mama, mama." She repeated as she snuggled into her Seven, her little face burrowing into Seven's neck.

Janeway laughed. "I told you we'd be here when you woke up. Someone missed you to much to stay away."

"I missed you both as well." Seven replied as she leaned down to kiss her partner.

Janeway happily accepted the kiss and then laughed again when Gretchen grabbed both women by the hair. "B'Elanna said she was quite the handful while we were both away."

Seven nodded as she disentangled the child's fingers from Kathryn's hair and then her own. "She is not use to being away from us both. As she grows older she will adapt."

The two women walked out of cargo bay two and headed towards their quarters. There was a comfortable silence between them as they walked. The events of the planet ran through both their thoughts as they watched their daughter caressing the star burst implant on Seven's cheek. The soft touch of the tiny fingers made Seven smile.

"I missed that." Janeway said suddenly.

Seven looked over at Janeway with her eyebrow raised. "Missed what?"

Janeway smiled. "Your smile."

"I have much to smile about. I am home after all." Seven replied as they entered their cabin.

"You would have been home wither the trial went in your favor or not, Seven." Janeway told her as they walked over to the sofa and sat down beside each other. "We had a transporter lock on you."

Seven settled Gretchen on her lap and handed the child her stuffed targ. "You would have gone against their laws? Against your own Prime Directive?"

Janeway watched Seven and Gretchen interact for a moment before responding. "You didn't break any of their laws, Annika. They were trying to ease their pain by laying it at your feet."

"They have a right to hate the Borg for what they did, Kathryn." Seven said softly. The deep emotional and philosophical talks that she and Kathryn had always enjoyed were still a big part of their relationship; they just learned to keep the tones of their voices in check when the baby was around.

"Yes, they have the right to be emotional about what happened, but if they don't move past the hate they'll be unable to grow." Janeway explained. "They did not however have the right to make you pay for something you had no part of."

Seven picked up the targ that Gretchen was throwing on the ground. It was a game she found no point in but it seemed to amuse her daughter to no end. "I may not have been apart of the destruction of that world but I was apart of many others."

"That's all in your past, Annika." Janeway said softly as she looked into her lover's eyes. "You've moved on from it. Haven't you?"

Taking a moment to think about it, Seven finally nodded when a look of worry washed over Janeway's face. "I did not have a choice when I was a drone and as a drone what I did had no effect on me. Now however, I do feel great remorse."

"That remorse helped the judge that came to visit you make up her mind about you." Janeway informed her. Seven hadn't been able to talk to either of the telepaths that had been watching their memories, reading their thoughts, and sensing their emotions. She had been returned to Voyager for medical treatment. "She could feel your remorse for what you did, your sympathy for what happened to them, and your love for your family."

Seven looked over at Janeway and then reached out and cupped her cheek. "And the other was impressed by you." Janeway looked surprised and Seven smiled. "The Doctor told me about what you did in the trial. You allowed yourself to be open in a way that you normally wouldn't allow. Thank you."

Janeway leaned over and wrapped both Seven and Gretchen in an embrace. "For you my love I find myself doing a lot of things I normally wouldn't, and I'm alright with that."


End file.
